Oconee County Sheriff's Office(COLUMBIA, S.C.) -- A manhunt is underway in South Carolina for a man accused of killing his mother and stepfather after he escaped from a psychiatric hospital, police said.

Jason Mark Carter, 39, escaped Thursday from a mental health facility in Columbia, S.C., and should be considered dangerous, police said.

Authorities are still investigating how Carter escaped but say he may have gotten away in a hospital van. Police said he has family living in North Carolina and he may be headed toward that area.

Carter has been committed for almost eight years since the death of his mother and stepfather in 2006. During his trial, Carter's defense attorney claimed his client had no memory of committing the crime, and he was ruled incompetent to stand trial.

"I remember the case did receive a good deal of publicity," Watt said.

Officers found the bodies of Kevin and Debra Ann Perkins on March 27, 2006, inside a locked room in the basement with Carter inside with the victims, authorities said in a news release.

Carter is 5-feet, 10 inches tall, and weighs 165 pounds, and has hazel eyes and brown hair. He was last seen wearing a black coat with a black and white sweater underneath and brown cargo pants, according to police. He may be traveling in a stolen 1991 white Chevy van with a tag of SG61580 with the number 244 on the bumper, police said.